Bilecik is a city that has hosted many civilizations such as Hittites, Phrygians, Lydians, Persians and Macedonians starting from the Romans in its history. Bilecik, which is the "City of Establishment and Liberation", was named as Agrilion, Agrillum, Belekome in the past, where the Ottoman Empire was founded and witnessed heroism in the War of Independence.
There are different stories told among the people about where the name Bilecik comes from. A community coming to Anatolia from the east looks for a settlement in the Bilecik region. While determining the place where the city will be built and digging the foundations, they encounter an interesting event; they see that the vehicles they use are moved from where they left them to another place. When the same event is repeated several times, one of the elderly members of the community points to the place where the vehicles are located and says, "If we had known, we would have laid the foundations of the city here". According to the rumor, this word "bileydik" changed over time and became Bilecik. In another story; Osman Bey told his braves to "sharpen their swords well" before going to the conquest of the surrounding towns. Thus, Osman Gazi's word "sharpening" changed over time and became Bilecik.
